Medal of Honor

Bennett's Awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor

BENNETT, STEVEN L. *
Rank and Organization: Captain, U.S. Air Force. 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron, Pacific Air Forces
Place and date: Quang Tri, Republic of Vietnam, 29 June 1972
Entered service at: Lafayette, Louisiana
Born: 22 April 1946, Palestine, Texas
Citation:
Capt. BENNETT was the pilot of a light aircraft flying an artillery adjustment mission along a heavily defended segment of route structure. A large concentration of enemy troops was massing for an attack on a friendly unit. Capt. BENNETT requested tactical air support, but was advised that none was available. He also requested artillery support but this too was denied due to the close proximity of friendly troops to the target. Capt. BENNETT was determined to aid the endangered unit and elected to strafe the hostile positions. After 4 such passes, the enemy force began to retreat. Capt. BENNETT continued the attack, but, as he completed his fifth strafing pass, his aircraft was struck by a surface-to-air missile, which severely damaged the left engine and the left main landing gear. As fire spread in the left engine, Capt. Bennett realized that recovery at a friendly airfield was impossible. He instructed his observer to prepare for an ejection, but was informed by the observer that his parachute had been shredded by the force of the impacting missile. Although Capt. Bennett had a good parachute, he knew that if he ejected, the observer would have no chance of survival. With complete disregard for his own life, Capt. Bennett elected to ditch the aircraft into the Gulf of Tonkin, even though he realized that a pilot of this type aircraft had never survived a ditching. The ensuing impact upon the water caused the aircraft to cartwheel and severely damaged the front cockpit, making escape for Capt. Bennett impossible. The observer successfully made his way out of the aircraft and was rescued. Capt. Bennett's unparalleled concern for his companion, extraordinary heroism and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Air Force.

--- General / Personal ---
Last name: BENNETT; First name: STEVEN LOGAN; Home of Record (official): LAFAYETTE
State (official): LA ; Date of Birth: Monday, April 22, 1946; Sex: Male; Race: Caucasian; Marital Status: Married;

--- Military ---
Branch: Air Force ; Rank: CPT; Serial Number: 438664188; Component: Reserve; Pay grade: O3; MOS (Military Occupational Specialty code): Unknown/Not reported

--- Action ---
Start of Tour: Wednesday, April 19, 1972 ; Date of Casualty: Thursday, June 29, 1972; Age at time of loss: 26; Casualty type: (A3) Hostile, died while missing; Reason: Air loss - Crashed at sea (Pilot - Fixed wing aircraft); Country: South VietNam; Province: Offshore, Military Region 1; The Wall: Panel 01W - Row 051

Thurman BENNETT, b. abt 1912, died abt 1952 of Hodgkin's Disease.
    married Gale MILLER abt 1935. Gale was born abt 1915. Gale's brother is Robert B.
MILLER. Gale remarried in 1954 to Kermit GRAY.
        children include:
        1. Jim BENNETT, b. abt 1937
        2. George BENNETT, b. abt 1942
        3. Thomas William BENNETT, b. 7 Apr 1947 in Morgantown, WV. Died
11 Feb 1969 in Chu Pa Region. Pleiku Province, Republic of Vietnam. Buried East Oak
Grove Cemetery - Morgantown, WV. Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
See below for complete details

Corporal Thomas W. BENNETT

Medal of Honor

Presentation: To His Family at the White House
By President Richard M. Nixon - Apr 07, 1970
Buried at: East Oak Grove Cemetery - Morgantown, West Virginia

BENNETT, THOMAS W. * ( Conscientious Objector )
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, 2d Platoon, Company B, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry
Place and date: Chu Pa Region. Pleiku Province, Republic of Vietnam, 9-11 February 1969
Entered service at: Fairmont, West Virginia
Born: 7 April 1947, Morgantown, West Virginia
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Cpl. BENNETT distinguished himself while serving as a platoon medical aidman with the 2d Platoon, Company B, during a reconnaissance-in-force mission. On 9 February the platoon was moving to assist the 1st Platoon of Company D, which had run into a North Vietnamese ambush, when it became heavily engaged by the intense small arms, automatic weapons, mortar and rocket fire from a well fortified and numerically superior enemy unit. In the initial barrage of fire, 3 of the point members of the platoon fell wounded. Cpl. Bennett, with complete disregard for his safety, ran through the heavy fire to his fallen comrades, administered life-saving first aid under fire and then made repeated trips carrying the wounded men to positions of relative safety from which they would be medically evacuated from the battle position. He valiantly exposed himself to the heavy fire in order to retrieve the bodies of several personnel. Throughout the night and following day, Cpl. Bennett moved from position to position treating and comforting the several personnel who had suffered shrapnel and gunshot wounds. On 11 February, Company B again moved in an assault on the well-fortified enemy positions and became heavily engaged with the numerically superior enemy force. 5 members of the company fell wounded in the initial assault. Cpl. Bennett ran to their aid without regard to the heavy fire. He treated 1 wounded comrade and began running toward another seriously wounded man. Although the wounded man was located forward of the company position covered by heavy enemy grazing fire and Cpl. Bennett was warned that it was impossible to reach the position, he leaped forward with complete disregard for his safety to save his comrade's life. In attempting to save his fellow soldier, he was mortally wounded. Cpl. Bennett's undaunted concern for his comrades at the cost of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

At a special ceremony in Morgantown, West Virginia on the afternoon of Friday,
November 3, 2000, the Family of Thomas W. Bennett presented his Medal of Honor to
West Virginia University.

PEACEFUL PATRIOT

"A Scouting Family"
Jim, George and Tom Bennett*
with their parents, Kermit and Gale Gray
521 Junior Avenue
Morgantown, West Virginia.
(Photo taken about 1956)

* Thomas Bennett is the little boy on the right.

Thanks to Robert B. Miller < RBBMILLER1@aol.com > , brother of Gale Bennett, Thomas Bennett's mother, for the memorabilia. On 7 January 2000, he writes:

Neil, I am enclosing a photo of Tom with his two older brothers, Jim and George, and their parents that I took in about 1956. Gale was their mother, and my sister. She died just a few years ago. Their biological father, Thurman BENNETT, died from Hodgkin's Disease when Tom was about five years old. Gale remarried in 1954 to Kermit GRAY. He was a good husband as well as a great dad for the boys. He is also gone now."